The EMD SD60 Series

The original EMD SD60 model,
released in the mid-1980s, was meant to update the unreliable and
unsuccessful SD50 design. The new locomotive looked very similar to the
SD50 externally but internally offered an upgraded prime mover
and other updated equipment. While the SD60 itself only sold a few
hundred examples, several variants of it did quite well with more than
1,000 in all being built by the time construction was completed on the
design in the mid-1990s. In many ways, the rebound of the SD60 helped
the Electro-Motive Division not only remain competitive against General Electric but also may have prevented the company from losing nearly its remaining market share altogether. The model
would be succeeded by the SD70 series, which again could not reclaim
EMD as industry leader but was another successful design that sold more
than 2,000 examples. Today, the SD60 can be found regularly operating
on just about every Class I around the country, including the Canadian
National.

The original EMD SD60 design began production in the spring of 1984. It was intended to replace the trouble-prone SD50 model which suffered from reliability and mechanical issues along with being a complicated design to maintain (notably with its electronics and microprocessors). The SD60 featured General Motors' latest 16-cylinder model 710G prime mover (replacing the model used on the trouble prone SD50), which could produce 3,800 horsepower, and the company marketed the locomotive as a heavy-haul/drag service unit. To back this up, it also offered substantial continuous tractive effort of 98,250 pounds starting and 100,000 pounds continuous using GM's new D87B traction motor. This was a vast increase over the SD50, and even the SD38 and SD40 series, as those models generally offered between 80,000 to 90,000 pounds of tractive effort.

While a much more reliable and easier to maintain model than the SD50, the original SD60 design saw marginal sales success, especially in comparison to that of similar General Electric was building at the time. Just 535 examples were built for eight Class Is (Burlington Northern, CSX, Conrail, Chicago & North Western, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, Soo Line, and Union Pacific) and a leasing firm (another four were built by EMD). Likewise, Canadian National purchased another 64 with the "cowl" carbody (listed as SD60Fs). These lackluster sales numbers can almost certainly be attributed to the industry's weariness of Electro-Motive products after the issues that afflicted the SD50 since mechanically the SD60 was a sound locomotive that generally was rather easy to maintain. However, the model's variants sold much better.

The EMD SD60M

The most successful variant was the EMD SD60M (the "M" designated the model featuring the, then, new wide "safety" cab that would eventually become standard across the industry). Four Class Is purchased the SD60M including the Burlington Northern (100, numbered 1991, 9200-9298 these units are now in operation on BNSF Railway), Conrail (75, numbered 5500-5574 they have since been split between CSX and NS), Soo (5, numbered 6058-6062 they remain in operation with Canadian Pacific), and Union Pacific. Together they purchased 740 examples with UP purchasing the most, some 560 units (originally numbered 6085-6645) and most still remain in operation today.

The EMD SD60I

EMD also built an SD60I for
Conrail, which purchased 81 units. The "I" designation stood for
"isolated cab", also known as a whisper cab as it was meant to greatly
reduce engine noise and
vibrations for the crew by literally isolating the cab from the frame of
the locomotive. It should also be noted that EMD built four SD60MAC
units (the "AC" referred to the model having alternating-current traction motors) as demonstrators for a new variant of the model. While tested on the Burlington Northern, none were built, and the first AC model EMD released and ultimately cataloged was the SD70MAC.

EMD SD60 Production Roster

Owner

Road Number(s)

Quantity

Date Built

Burlington Northern

8300-8302

3

1985

Chicago & North Western

8001-8055

55

1986

Conrail

6840-6867

28

1984-1989

CSX

8700-8709

10

1989

Electro-Motive (Demo)

1-4

4

1984

Kansas City Southern

714-759

46

1989-1991

Norfolk Southern

6550-6700

151

1984-1991

Oakway, Inc.

9000-9099

100

1986

Soo Line

6000-6057

58

1987-1989

Union Pacific

6000-6084

85

1986-1988

SD60M Production Roster

Owner

Road Number(s)

Quantity

Date Built

Burlington Northern

1991, 9200-9298

100

1990-1991

Conrail

5530-5574

45

1992-1993

Soo Line

6058-6062

5

1989

Union Pacific

6085-6365

281

1989-1992

SD60I Production Roster

Owner

Road Number(s)

Quantity

Date Built

Conrail

5544, 5575-5654

81

1993-1995

SD60MAC Production Roster

Owner

Road Number(s)

Quantity

Date Built

Burlington Northern

9500-9503

4

1991-1992

It should be noted that there was another variant known as the SD60MAC. This model
was essentially an SD60M that used alternating current (AC) traction
motors and EMD constructed four that tested on Burlington Northern.
While the tests proved successful all orders for the model were taken as
the later SD70MAC. Currently, the four demonstrator units remain at
the FRA Test Track in Pueblo, Colorado. Today, as mentioned above,
SD60s and its variants remain in operation on nearly every Class I
system with leased units being found on some regionals and short lines
like the New England Central.

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